The harsh, uncontrollable winds blared in every direction across the sky at a deafening speed, a small blue and grey spot made its way across the never ending ocean of air. Clouds waved and collided with one another from the windy currents. The sun watched over the land from its place in the sky, peeking over the horizon to banish the fading shadows of night. The blue and grey spot did not falter in this light of dawn, facing away from the sun as it made its way across the sea of air. It was only when the spot passed a large assortment of buildings with tiny, different coloured dots scattered across the area did it begin to slow down. It simply began to hover in place with outstretched Pegasus wings. The change between movement and idleness almost unnoticeable in it's subtlety.
Her once bright cyan coat dimmed with the rising sun, her mane untamed. The grey suit she wore with soft, vertical stripes of black were creased with each flap of her pulsing wings, saddlebags loosely strapped to her sides. Her eyes were hollow, light bags of fatigue decorating the bottom lids of her sockets. She looked down at the town below her, her blank expression becoming replaced with a tiny smile as the memories came back to her. Ponyville was just the same as it had been when she still lived there all those years ago, or at least it felt that way to her. Sweet Apple Acres still sat on a hill, isolated from the rest of the village, The School of Friendship still towered over most buildings. She let her smile die down and, as if she hadn't see Ponyville at all was back to flying through the sky once more in the direction of the Everfree Forest.
It was only two minutes later did she spot the cottage at the Forest's edge, her wings instinctively beating down against the air much faster than she had been going before towards the ground. Descending at a rapid pace, the Pegasus' eyes narrowed as she licked her lips. The ground became clearer by the second. The trees that made up the border between the Ponyville Outskirts and the Everfree, the smoke that quietly fizzled out of the cottage chimney, the animals that lay around the back of the property. As the ground became closer and closer in her vision, the Pegasus let a smirk take over her mouth as she flapped her powerful wings backwards, turning the once speeding bullet about to make impact into a gentle glide towards the dirt road.
Like a feather, she landed without a sound. Wasting no time, even as her heart throbbed against her chest she glanced into her saddlebags to ensure she hadn’t lost anything. Satisfied, she turned and began to walk in the direction of the cottage. Animal noises filled the air, the soft tweets of the Everfree Robin were deafened by the yips of a Nightoak Timberwolf in the distance, which was then overtaken by the echoing roar of a Goldback Manticore. The Pegasus closed her eyes, her hooves making the right turns from pure muscle memory alone while listening to a barrage of noises from the Equine-made ecosystem that was her friend's home.
All those noises, scattered along the great green pastures alongside the road. A single stone wall aligning the left side of the dirt road with a labyrinth of fences and pens just behind it. The Manticore roared again, followed by a second, louder roar. It was only when the sound of a pony's yell reached her ears did Rainbow's closed eyes shoot open, her scrunched muzzle letting out a gasp before her wings unfurled. She dashed forward, her wings flapping harder by the second before she was up in the air. Keeping close to the ground she flew straight through the property, her eyes widening once she got to the other side of the stone and wood cottage.
"Fluttershy?!" she gasped only to tilt her head to the side at what she saw. At the far right corner of her back garden, Fluttershy giggled as the large Manticore that had wrapped it's feline body around her while licking her face, it's previous roars now gentle purring. A single, bloody thorn on the ground.
"O-oh, Rainbow you came just in time," the yellow Pegasus greeted, giving a short, slow wave before beginning the long and difficult process of exiting the loving embrace of a large Manticore. "I'll be right with you so don't worry." She paused after saying that, looking down to the floor before gazing at Rainbow. "You remember Leo, don’t you? The Manticore we ran into when trying to chase after Nightmare Moon?”
The cyan mare stared at her, blinking several times before a long sigh escaped her. She began to walk towards the yellow mare, the Manticore's attention suddenly locked onto the blue Pegasus. "Oh, yeah I think I do. It’s been years since that happened so I guess I for-”
"Rainbow, watch out!" Fluttershy called as the Manticore planted itself onto the ground, it's wings opening to their widest length before growling at the blue stranger through bared fangs.
Rainbow without thinking went to step back, but quickly found herself on the ground from tripping over her own hooves. A saddlebag opened, a few pages falling out onto the grass. As the Manticore snarled at her, moving in towards her she skid back on her hooves, breathing heavily with each movement. Before the beast readied itself for a pounce, Rainbow closed her eyes. She waited, but the beast never did pounce. When she opened her eyes, Rainbow found Fluttershy in full scolding mode.
"Leo!" she heard Fluttershy scold, the sound of the Manticore whimpering following just after. "That's a bad kitty! Rainbow is our guest. Now, go to your corner and think about what you've done."
, Rainbow saw the Manticore retreat into it's corner with a lowered head, laying down on the ground. She quickly looked back to Fluttershy, who extended a wing to help the fallen mare get back up, an offer Rainbow accepted.
"Rainbow, are you okay? Leo didn't hurt you did he?" She asked as Rainbow got to her hooves before leaning down to pick up her papers. “I’ve never expected him to be so rude.”
“It’s not his fault, Flutters it’s mine,” Rainbow answered quickly, spreading the saddlebag wide open to so the papers Flutters collected could slide in easier. “I walked too close, he didn’t know who I was.”
“I know, but still,” Fluttershy sighed, slotting the stack of papers she picked up into the bag at a clumsy pace. “I’m surprised you even went down, thought I was gonna have to stop a fight between you and him.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, closing the saddlebag before locking it. “Yeah… I would have done that years ago,” she admitted, looking to the ground. “M-mind if we go inside?”
“O-oh, oh of course, Rainbow, I’ll get us something to drink just go sit down,” She answered, the two heading for the back door.
Rainbow sank deeper into the soft, green couch that laid just behind the largest window in Fluttershy's house. Her ears filled with the pouring of water from a kettle which was then replaced with the clinks of a spoon stirring against the cup that held the liquid within. She looked around, squinting her eyes at just how different the place was since she'd been there last. The walls, once a light chocolate brown now a tone of cream. The light above sporting a ceiling fan when it did not previously. The only two things Rainbow recognized about this house was the couch she sat upon and the distinct smell of animal dung. It was as if you had cleaned a large, stone pigsty and then added several extensions to it now. Not the carefully decorated, cozy home all those years ago.
Rainbow looked down, eyes widening at the sight of her hooves shaking, lightly but still shaking all the same. She quickly threw them down to her sides. "Damn Manticore," she hissed through bare teeth, breathing in and out at a steady pace to calm herself while she waited for Fluttershy.
"Alright. Tea's ready, Rainbow," Fluttershy echoed from the kitchen, emerging just a second after those words left her lips. In each of her wings she held a cup by it shandle with nebulous linesof steam rising from each cup's top. Slowly, she made her way over to the other Pegasus before setting the two cups down.
"Now," she started, sitting down just beside the cyan mare. "How have you been, Rainbow? I-if you don't mind answering of course."
Rainbow leaned over, sipping the tea before returning to her previous position. "I'm good, I guess," she replied, allowing the taste of the tea to settle on her tongue. Honey and Sugar. "You remembered my favorite?" she asked.
"Course I do," Fluttershy answered, an absolutely tiny smile creeping onto her face. "You're not, upset about what happened with Leo are you? Cause I can give him a talkin-"
"No, I'm not upset, Leo's not at fault at all." She turned her head fully in the yellow Pegasus' direction, her own wing unfurling, the tip pointing to her. "I'm just, tired. Of myself I mean. I mean look at me."
Fluttershy's eyes gazed over Rainbow, the grey suit she wore, the paler blue coat, almost as if bleached. But she still only smiled, putting a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Dashie, you look like anyone would in your workplace, not that it's a bad thing, of course. It's normal."
"Normal? Normal?! I used to be one of th-no, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria. I used to kick ass with you and the other girls and save the whole world! Now look at me. I mean, all these papers I have are tests from the flight academy I have to grade by, like tomorrow." She sighed in a quick manner, leaning down to take another sip of her drink. "I bet you're having a fantastic time with all these dangerous animals..."
Fluttershy looked away, her wing bring her own tea up to her mouth to drink. "Well, actually I wouldn't mind doing something like you..." She said, her voice small and almost inaudible.
"The threat of danger," Rainbow continued on, her mouth close to watering. "Not knowing if the animal you're trying to help and protect will pounce on your any second. Chasing after a predator that escaped it's pen as it rushes towards the town."
"The peace of it all," Flutter shy continued, looking away still whilst sipping her tea every few seconds. "The winds in your ear, the smiles of your students as you show them more aerodynamic positions to put their wings in while gliding."
Rainbow took large gulps of her tea, clicking her tongue off the roof of her mouth after. "Going into the Everfree to capture the beasts, ringing them back to the Cottage."
"The foals who look up to you and seeing their smiles which just melts your heart," Fluttershy continued, her eyes half lidded as she gazed into nothing. "I don't mind admitting it."
"I don't mind admitting it," Rainbow said just a second after, turning to face Fluttershy only to see she had done the same, the fact the two had ignored one another in their daydreaming never coming to her.
"I wish I had your job," they uttered, their lips forming those words at the exact same time. They leaned their heads back, they're eyes wide before the two Pegasi looked away quicker than they had turned to face one another.
"Y-you want my job?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head to the side. Her eyes moved from side to side, thinking of what to ask. "How could you want my job? It's, it's shit."
"Well, how could you want my job?" Fluttershy asked, her face blank. "It's dangerous, you could get hurt."
"That's why I want that kind of job, Flutters," Rainbow answered, turning away for a moment before looking back. "Teaching at the Flight School is torture. I'm worked to the bone and guess what? I'm not allowed to fly that often while there. I think I've gained weight working there for so long."
"What? No, you look fine," Fluttershy said, putting her cup back onto the tray. She looked at it, a frown on her face. "If anything, I think I'm getting too bulky. It's been so long since me and Rarity went to the spa. I have no free time anymore."
"At least you get to be outdoors," Rainbow commented, sighing before leaning down to finish her tea.
"You are literally working in the clouds," Fluttershy said, her voice flat while her stare was one of pure annoyance. "How more "outdoors" could you want?"
"I mean like the grass and stuff," Rainbow huffed, looking to the ground as she sat back up. "You know how light the air is up there, down here it's so rich."
"Rainbow, I really don't understand why you'd want all this," Fluttershy said, gazing out the window behind her at her back garden. "I mean, I love the animals I care for. I really do. But, they're dangerous, they could injure or even kill you."
"That sounds a lot better than being surrounded by foals who are full of themselves. Sweet Celestia, I know I wasn't the best filly when it came to attitude but I swear, these little gremlins have problems."
Fluttershy looked back to Rainbow, one of her eyebrows extended above the other. "Then, why'd you take the job then? I mean you obviously hate it."
"It's not that I hate it," Rainbow responded. "It's just, I don't... I don't want it to be the rest of my life, ya know?" She looked out the window herself, but her eyes were pointed to the sky above. "When I was coming over here, I did something I thought I never got the chance to anymore."
"What was that?" Fluttershy asked, looking up to the sky as well.
"A Stunt," the blue Pegasus said, looking down. "I felt so alive and, when I touched the ground it all came down on me, the fact that job was hell. The fact it turned me into a, a fucking wuss!" She looked back up, eyes locked on Fluttershy. "You got the dream job with the fresh air and the excitement. I got the short end of the stick."
"W-well," Fluttershy began, putting a hoof on Rainbow's back softly. "You might think that's the case. But in my eyes, you're the lucky one."
"But you love these animals, don't you?" Rainbow asked, puffing her cheeks out slightly.
"Yes, I love these animals. I love taking care of them. But you gotta understand Rainbow, I've been doing this for years now. The magic's pretty much gone by this point."
Rainbow's nose scrunched up as she looked at the yellow Pegasus. She stared at her for what felt like an eternity before she finally looked back down. "Guess we can't really understand each other, then," She finally said, breathing out before closing her eyes. "Hey 'Shy?"
"What?" Fluttershy asked, taking a quick sip of her tea only to scowl at the fact it was cold. She quickly brought her attention back to Rainbow after.
"What is it you want from a job like mine?"
The yellow mare looked to her friend, silent for a few seconds. "Well. I guess the main thing would be to pass on the knowledge I have to the next generation," she started. the gears in her head going as fast as they could. "Like, I'm not an idiot when it comes to flight school, I know my stuff. I just wanted to help animals more at the time."
"And now you don't?" Rainbow asked, leaning back into the couch.
"No, I still do. I just don't want to do it all the time. Same boat as you in that regard," Fluttershy replied. "I don't want to be a crazy animal Mare that foals are afraid to go near after all. I just kind of.... let my shyness get the best of me at the time and, I don't really have the qualifications to pursue much else."
"Same here," Rainbow sighed. "I tried getting other jobs. But only things I got is weather management, flight teaching and speed and, Wonderbolts said I'm too reckless to race professionally after what happened last time."
"You mean when you span out of control and crashed into the stand, nearly killing yourself because you couldn't stop daydreaming about success after winning to tell your wings to stop flapping?" Fluttershy asked.
"No, when I slipped on a banana peel and fell face first between Soarin's hind legs," Rainbow replied with rolling eyes and a small smirk.
Fluttershy burst out in a fit of laughter, so much that her eyes began to water ever so slightly. She continued on and soon enough the cyan Pegasus beside her began to laugh along with her. The two friends, laughing for who knew how long soon enough came to a slow halt. The sun now in the middle of the sky, light poured in from the window. The two looked down, both sighing before Fluttershy slowly looked up to Rainbow.
"Rainbow, I have an idea," she said, her voice quiet.
"What you got in mind?" Rainbow asked, her eyes squinting a small bit at the sound of the other mare's tone.
"Well, how about you go and feed some of the animals and I stay here and correct some of the papers?" She suggested.
Rainbow's face went blank, the idea burrowing into her mind. It took her a few seconds to shake her head in a rapid pace to come back to her senses before turning to Fluttershy. "That's... actually a pretty good idea."
"Y-yeah," Fluttershy said. "I was thinking about it when you were ranting but, I thought it was silly at the time."
"It's not silly," Rainbow exclaimed. "It's genius compared to what I would have come up with."
Fluttershy looked away, a wing covering her face to hide the redness of her face. "O-oh, that's goo- I mean, not that your idea is bad. It's probably good... Oh my." She said. "W-well, I guess my idea isn't all good. It's not a overall solution."
"Course not," Rainbow said. "I guess it's just more a one off thing. It'll get us some time away from our jobs, even if just for a small bit."
Fluttershy smiled after a while, nodding before dragging over Rainbow's saddlebags with her wing. "I guess I'll get started with correcting these then." She said. "You go on, feed the bigger animals first to get it out of the way."
Rainbow nodded back, getting to her hooves and then continued on to the kitchen. When she reached the stone archway that bordered the sitting room from the kitchen, she looked back. "You do know the right answers, don't you?"
"Rainbow, I got straight A's, you barely passed," Fluttershy answered, looking to Rainbow with a blank look. "I know what I'm doing."
"Okay, just checking!" Rainbow shouted as she made her way out of the house at a giddy trot.
Fluttershy blinked several times, her mouth dry when it had not been before. She smiled after a bit, turning her head to stack of papers she had taken out of the saddlebag. "Well, let's start with you," she whispered, picking up the paper at the top of the stack before opening it. She puffed out her cheeks at what she saw.
"Well, this one's getting an F, that's for sure."
Author's Note
Hello. I hoped you enjoyed my second short story which was written as part of a "class prompt" from the School for New Writers group here on FimFiction. This is where anyone can write a short story between 3,000 to 5,000 words to be reviewed by the group's professors. It's a great way for you to learn how to improve your writing skill and guess what?! You can join in the next prompt after this one!
Here's the link to their Discord(main communication/advice hub):
https://discordapp.com/channels/207507139130949632/207507139130949632
And here's the link to their FimFiction Group:
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/916/school-for-new-writers
